Lin Yilin was too lazy to consider what Zheng Fan had used as his blueprint and concept when altering these shoes.
Both the shoes themselves and the football shoes that branched off from them were tangible existences.
After retrieving both pairs of shoes and calming down the restless Toast, Lin Yilin, with interest, began to test this new Phantasms crafted by Zheng Fan.
It didn't take long to get the results.
A pair of shoes that were very 'ordinary' yet, in a sense, a bit exaggerated.
They were unremarkable on their own; even with self-awareness and the ability to move, their strength was comparable to, or even weaker than, that of an ordinary person.
Their few notable features included the ability to transform into various styles of shoes.
Beyond these, the truly significant feature of these shoes was their ability to create 'clones'.
These cloned shoes of different styles were summoned and controlled by the main pair, and unlike the main shoes' weakness, these separated shoes possessed special powers.
Their effects were similar to the bait-Phantasms shoes created by Lu Lu, though the enhancement's magnitude and direction were equally unstable.
The derivative shoes did not have self-awareness but were controlled by the main shoes; however, this control would fail over long distances unless someone was wearing the main shoes, in which case that person could take over and control them regardless of distance.
"It's like this again," Lin Yilin placed the notes she had taken during the test in front of Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan looked at them and nodded with satisfaction, but seeing Lin Yilin's somewhat astonished expression, he still asked, "What's wrong?"
"Just like after the property Illusion incident last time, you've replicated the power of that bait Illusion when it created bait... Are these things your bait?"
"Not really," Zheng Fan denied. "I tried to create bait that was closely linked to me, but a subtle feedback from deep within my body told me that the 'singularity' was insufficient, or rather, my growth was insufficient."
He looked at the shoes standing rigidly in front of him, not daring to move. "But in the end, I still managed a substitute, creating a feeling of a superior controlling a subordinate. Not bad, right?"
"To casually create such exaggerated power with so much business potential hidden within, truly worthy of Mr. Illusion," Lin Yilin sighed with emotion.
Although Zheng Fan could already do this, now Zheng Fan, building on the foundation of 'giving a man a fish,' has transitioned to 'teaching a man to fish.' These shoes alone can continuously produce Phantasms shoes.
As shoes, their practicality was already quite high.
Moreover, the key point was that their aesthetic was several streets ahead of Lu Lu's; they weren't as ugly or as gaudy and conspicuous.
After completing the test, Lin Yilin directly took away the several pairs of shoes she had used for testing. These were all various styles of women's casual and athletic shoes.
Unlike Lu Lu's shoes, Zheng Fan's Phantasms shoes were of much better quality, and wearing them provided a boost. There was no reason not to wear them; they saved money and were useful.
Toast was still eager, wanting to fight the shoes again, constantly nudging them.
The shoes were sweating profusely, silently avoiding, but as they dodged, they were about to be pushed off the coffee table.
Zheng Fan then reached out and picked up Toast. "Don't bully your little brother... No, are you a boy? Or a girl? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Anyway, we're family now, so don't bully them too much."
The shoes were protected and let out a sigh of relief.
Although they were born in a muddled way, this tall figure, who made them feel both intimate and scared, seemed to be very gentle.
"Woof!" Toast barked at the shoes.
The shoes shielded their remaining clones in front of them.
Anything but this Toast.
"Then you'll be called Lu Lu Shoes. It's too cute a name to be taken to the grave by that Illusion," Zheng Fan decided.
Listening to Zheng Fan, it was unclear if the shoes received the message.
Lin Yilin organized a shoebox, padding it with cushions to serve as Lu Lu Shoes' "residence."
At first, they were placed in the same corner as Toast.
But then, she turned around and saw Lu Lu Shoes quietly pushing their shoebox into a deeper corner of the firm, just to get away from Toast. In the end, Lin Yilin didn't bother with it anymore.
A little while later, she heard a sound from inside. It turned out Toast had secretly gone over to harass Lu Lu Shoes, biting one of them and dragging it away, making the other shoe anxiously hop and chase after it.
Finally, unable to catch up, it ran over and rubbed against Zheng Fan, trying to complain.
But how can a shoe rub against someone?
It stepped on Zheng Fan's foot, which made Zheng Fan, who had originally intended to help, fall silent.
Lin Yilin had just sat back down at her desk when she was forced to stand up again to retrieve the struggling other shoe from Toast's mouth.
Fortunately, Toast was afraid of her. Seeing Lin Yilin approach, it timidly retracted all abnormal features and pretended to be an innocent Toast. Zheng Fan would probably have to slap Toast for it to let go.
After resolving the matter, Lin Yilin finally walked back. As she passed the coffee machine, she suddenly heard it operating and realized it had brewed a cup of coffee.
"Thank you," Lin Yilin took it, somewhat surprised, but she was pretty much used to it by now.
Anyway, he wasn't even pretending anymore. At least drinking high-quality coffee gave her a slight feeling of being cared for.
Sitting back at her desk, she looked at the firm in front of her. It was largely unchanged but had inexplicably gained a few strange things: Toast, the coffee machine, the shoes, and a dark-themed handsome man who could change size anywhere and had an extreme split between his inner and outer self.
What would this firm become in the future?
Although Lin Yilin's future plans did not include hiring more people or expanding, given the current situation, it was truly hard to say what would happen.
However, if it became livelier, that wouldn't be bad either.
Lin Yilin didn't dislike lively environments; it was just that she wasn't very good at integrating into them.
But... in the current situation, sometimes she had no choice but to participate, even if she didn't want to.
Zheng Fan was trying strange transformations again. Lin Yilin stood rooted, holding her coffee, staring at him for a long time, somewhat lost in thought.
It wasn't until the sound of an email notification on her computer called her back.
"Jia Jia?" The email was from a classmate who worked at the Processing Bureau, who had provided her with information about the Shenlai Firm during the previous remnants of the Cannae incident.
After reading the first part of the email, she nodded with some satisfaction.
The Jacob Family has a hidden secret. As you suspected, their sudden rise to prominence ten years ago was likely related to that great earthquake. If viewed in this light, their current sudden collapse is indeed not so simple.
Lin Yilin pursed her lips, a little excited, but quickly calmed down.
At the end of the email, it turned to another matter.
Addendum: I'll be back in Xixikoko next month, and we can discuss it in detail then. Also, I've heard rumors about you lately. It seems you're doing well on your path. Congratulations first. However, there's one more thing to remind you: Ye-jie is coming back, from over there. I just received her contact, and she'll probably notify you soon as well. If there truly is a powerful Illusion by your side now, one that even you are satisfied with.
Please be sure to pay attention to her!
Looking at the email in front of her, Lin Yilin couldn't help but fall into a daze.
"What's wrong?"
Zheng Fan's voice suddenly sounded close by.
Lin Yilin turned sharply, realizing Zheng Fan had appeared beside her at some point.
"Your emotional fluctuations are abnormal, not like your usual self."
Saying that, Zheng Fan looked at the computer screen.
"Ye-jie? Who's that?"
Lin Yilin took a breath, straightened up, and swallowed, saying, "An older student from my former club."
Zheng Fan looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
"She's an Illusion Hunter."